The party has won in the Spanish northeastern region for the first time, while pro-independence groups lost their majority. But Salvador Illa lacks enough lawmakers to form a government and faces tough negotiations
The far-right Vox group has entered the regional parliament for the first time, winning 11 seats to become the fourth-largest political force
Quim Torra described the Supreme Court’s decision as a “coup” and urged separatist parties to stay united ahead of a regional election in the coming months
Quim Torra was met with near silence in the regional parliament on Thursday, after suggesting a repeat vote on secession from Spain, and even laying out a provisional schedule
Quim Torra has been criticized for not doing more to stop the unrest, which erupted after the Supreme Court sentenced nine separatists to prison for their role in the 2017 breakaway attempt
Political division partly explains the lowest turnout in years at the Barcelona march on Wednesday
The politician, who is living in Belgium after fleeing Spain, won 28% of the vote, while Oriol Junqueras obtained 21%
Basque nationalists also express puzzlement at decision by independence parties to veto Catalan Socialist Party’s Miquel Iceta as speaker of the upper house
Violent activists broke through security cordons at the end of a peaceful pro-independence march in Barcelona
The two parties running the Catalan government cannot agree on the best strategy toward secession from Spain
Quim Torra say his term of office will be transitional, and Madrid has to make decisions on direct rule
In video address from Belgium, Carles Puigdemont proposes a jailed candidate and vows to fight the Spanish state
Jailed independence activist Jordi Sànchez could soon be the new candidate to lead the region
Separatist bloc needs other party members to fill their vacant spots in regional chamber for key votes
In a deeply divided region, Ciudadanos and the Catalan Republican Left seem to be taking over
The challenge for pro-secession groups has been how to win over voters after recent failures
But results suggest more political uncertainty is on the cards for Catalonia
Campaign race for December 21 features jailed and self-exiled candidates, and highly motivated voters
Weary voters step back from hard-line independence tactics, according to Metroscopia survey for EL PAÍS
Speaking via a recorded message broadcast on regional channel TV-3, Carles Puigdemont calls on citizens to put up “democratic opposition” to Article 155
Regional premier faces choice of declaring independence or calling snap election before losing control
The regional executive wants to block attempts to see its powers stripped by Madrid
Despite tense political climate ahead of illegal referendum, attendance at La Diada march down from previous years
Mestroscopia survey for EL PAÍS shows that same percentage of respondents want the regional government to switch to a new negotiation strategy
Constitutional Court also reminds mayors of their duty not to cede public space for October 1 vote
Spanish government deploys raft of legal measures to nullify planned October 1 independence referendum
But figure rises to 67% if process were to take place without full parliamentary debate